Single Blade
by Sabishiioni
Summary: When war hits a little too close to home
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: None for this chapter

Mindless Babble: Inspired by the movie "Black Hawk Down". Plato said, "Only the dead have seen the end of war". Another wise unknown person said, "The only future peace has to offer is war". Whether these statements prove true remain to be seen, although they do seem to be holding their own.

* * *

"Kinda a slow night, huh?"

Tifa nodded absently as she washed one of the few glasses that had gathered. She looked at the man standing next to her. "Thanks for the company, Cloud."

The blond shrugged, smiling back at her. "No problem. I said I would protect you even if it just against boredom."

Tifa gasped. "A joke from you? Who are you and what have you done to my Cloud Strife?"

Cloud laughed and was about to reply when the door to Seventh Heaven slammed open. A familiar man in unfamiliar clothing strode in. He looked around at the few patrons that dotted the bar.

"You all have two minutes before this establishment is closed," he said, his voice like a razor.

It actually took only a minute for the place to clear out. Even now, the Turks were something to be feared.

"Why the Hell did you do that for, Tseng?" Tifa yelled at the black clad man. It was strange to see the Turk in formfitting body armor instead of the usual dark blue suit. The pistol at his side didn't fit with the man either.

"I'm sorry, but President Shinra has business with you and your friends."

"Well, maybe next time he can call or come himself. Unlike him, I still need the money this place brings in, no matter how little!" She added that last part when an eyebrow shot up on Tseng's face.

"I'm sure that what I have to offer will be worth more then what you would have lost tonight." The smaller honey-blond man stepped through the door. He was dressed in black as well, though not in body armor. More like the clothing one would wear to a funeral.

"Rufus! What… Why…?" Cloud's mind refused to form a complete sentence.

"I have need of your services," Rufus said, quietly. "Will you come with me, please?"

There was something in his voice, the way it wavered at the end, which convinced the two former Avalanche members to go with their one-time enemy.

* * *

Rufus and Tseng led the pair into the Shinra building which had since been rebuilt and to an elevator. Tseng keyed for the 68th floor, the one just below the president's office and living quarters. The ride was done in silence, each lost to their own thoughts.

Once the doors slid open, Cloud and Tifa were met with a pleasant surprise. Barret, Cid, Vincent and even Nanaki were standing there with Rude and Elena in front of a triangular column.

"What are all of you doing here?" Tifa exclaimed, hugging Barret and Cid.

"We were told that there was a matter of importance involving all of us," Vincent replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "They hinted that one of us was being threatened."

As one, the group turned to face Rufus and the three Turks. That was when they noticed two strange things. For one, the Turks were all wearing the same black armor. And two, one of them was missing.

Rufus held up his hands to stop the questions before they started. "First order of business is my request; I need you to guard a very special person."

"There ain't nobody I'd want to guard if they work for Shinra!" Barret exclaimed, crossing his arms over his massive chest.

"But I don't work for them!" countered a squeaky voice. Suddenly, the big, dark skinned man found his arms full of a bouncy Materia thief named…

"Yuffie!"

Cloud returned his gaze to Rufus. "Explain."

"A civil war has broken out in Wutai," the young president started. "A small but powerful warlord forced the Royal Family out-"

"He means me and my dad!" Yuffie interrupted, the happiness that had been there since she had first caught sight of her friends had faded somewhat, though she tried to keep the smile up.

Rufus cleared his throat before continuing. "My forces aided their escape and they have been in hiding here while we try to restore order. While Lord Godo doesn't mind taking sanctuary here, Lady Yuffie is a bit lonely and rather restless. I can't afford to use my men to be her bodyguards so I was hoping that I might be able to employ the six of you to watch over her for a while longer. We are at a stage where we should be able to restore Wutai to its proper rulers soon."

"PLEEEEEESE?" The young girl was practically begging them.

Tifa smiled and replied, "I guess we can figure something out."

"YES!" Yuffie whooped and jumped into the air. "Tifa, you rock!"

"Where's Reno?" The laughter was cut short by Cloud's question. "And what's with the body armor?"

The three Turks looked away, attempting to hide the pain that played over their faces. Rude visibly flinched, as if hit. Rufus swallowed and motioned to the hall behind the pillar, his own eyes darting everywhere but at the assembled group.

"Let us move to a more comfortable location."

* * *

This floor was the Turk's domain which included a lounge, dojo, shooting range, gym, medical facility, and a briefing room. Soon the group was sitting in a room full of cushy couches and chairs and elegantly carved coffee and end tables. The three Turks made sure that everyone was comfortable before leaving, practically fleeing the room. They had lived this story and once was enough. Besides, this room held a sacred memory that was still too fresh in their minds to stay for long in the company of outsiders.

Rufus began the tale…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Tissue, Goodbye

Mindless Babble: If you want to know where the creed came from, take the first letter of each stanza (hint: it's in **bold **lettering) and put them together. Then replace the word "Turk" with that word and you will have the original Creed.

* * *

_**R**ecognizing that I volunteered as a Turk, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high "esprit de corps" of my Turk Regiment._

The bar was one of those places where you would go if you wanted to be left alone. The kind that had dark, shadowy booths tucked in corners. It was the perfect place for the four people currently residing in one such booth.

"Well, I guess this is out last night together as Turks," Elena said sadly. "Tomorrow we all go our separate ways…"

"Hey, at least we'll all be in the same division," Reno replied trying to cheer the woman up. "Just be sure to not get me lost when you're on the ground controlling everything, okay?"

"Just for that, Flyboy, I'll make sure you land in one of the craters!"

Reno grinned. "Perfect! Then I'll be able to drop Rude and Tseng off to go monster hunting!"

Tseng frowned as he looked at the redhead. "I don't think we are going to have time for hunting."

"I don't care where you drop us off," Rude spoke up. "Just so long as you get your punk ass down there to pick us up again!"

Reno laughed. "No problem, Big Guy."

"Let's make a pact," Elena blurted suddenly. She blushed as three sets of eyes fell on her but continued. "Let's promise to look out for each other…" She held out her hand, palm down over the candle that provided the only light.

Silently, Tseng placed his hand over the smaller one.

"Protect our brothers and sisters…" Rude intoned as he laid his hand on top of the other two. The three looked at the remaining Turk, waiting.

"No one left behind," Reno whispered as he leaned forward and solemnly placed his hand over the hands of his family, shiny new dog tags wrapped in black rubber falling from his open shirt.

* * *

_**A**cknowledging the fact that a Turk is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Turk my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier_

"Reno, where the Hell are you?" Rude yelled into the radio. As an after thought, he added a sharp "Over."

"I'm inbound and hot! ETA: two minutes!"

Rude signaled to his chalk to gather up and get ready for the evac. The SOLDERs pulled in tight around their commanding officer. They all looked up at the sound of whirling blades. The sudden whine of the mini guns caused them all to cover their heads and pull the collars of their jackets tight around their necks. At 4000 rounds a minute, the shells from a 7.62 mini gun came out hot enough to burn skin.

"Rude! Load them up!"

The dark eyes that were hidden behind goggles took in the he sight of the sleek Blackhawk barely touching the dirt of the road, the blades missing the building by inches. The pilot's head was covered in a helmet and his eyes hidden by goggles but Rude knew that it was his partner, keeping his promise.

Rude's chalk slid into the hull of the bird, the dark man jumping on last. His foot hadn't even left the ground before Reno was leaving the deck. They were taking small arms fire even with the Little Birds providing cover support.

Rude made his way to the com system and waited until they where a safe distance up before speaking. "Tseng?"

"Got off without a hitch," Reno replied, flashing his pal a smile. "Kai says they didn't even get fired on when they left. Oh yeah, Yuffie says 'hi'."

* * *

_**N**ever shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One-hundred-percent and then some._

Elena walked up to a familiar sight; Reno and Tseng sparing while Rude bench pressed twice his own weight. She laughed as Reno got a lucky shot in and knocked Tseng on his ass. Reno blushed and apologized, holding out a hand to help the man back up. Tseng caught the hand and instead of pulling the redhead down like Elena thought he would, allowed himself to be pulled up.

"Hi guys," she said, as she stepped up to the men. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

Reno grinned. "Hey, Elena! Decided to do a bit of slumming and visit us grunts?"

"You three are anything but 'grunts'," Elena replied smirking.

"Elena, I did want to thank you for getting that back up to us as quickly as you did," Tseng said, bowing to her.

Elena felt her cheeks heat up. "It was nothing. I was just doing my job… and keeping my promise."

"Well, you still did better the most controllers would have," Rude said as he sat up, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"And you still have yet to steer me wrong," Reno added.

The young woman laughed nervously, not used to all the complements. "Thank you, but you guys are the ones doing all the work, and then some. Tseng, I heard that you and Rude are giving extra combat training courses to the SOLDIERs and Reno, even you're teaching advanced aerial combat maneuvers."

"Hey, I just want to make sure the back up is good enough to get my ass out of a fire!" the pilot retorted, a grin plastered on his face.

Elena laughed until she remembered why she was here. "Oh, I actually came down to tell you that Godo and Yuffie are now at Shinra HQ instead of Healin Lodge. Yuffie is less then happy but Godo is supplying quite a lot of intel."

"That's good," Rude said. "Maybe they'll be able to figure out a way to get that bastard, Hideyoshi, out of there."

"I was going to be coordinating things on this end but instead I'll be headed home for a while. Don't give me that look, Reno. I'll only be gone for a couple of days, max. You don't even have any missions while I'm gone."

Reno's grin turned shy. "Actually, Elena, I kinda volunteered to do a scouting run in one of the A-6s tomorrow …"

"And Tseng and I are doing a parameter run with our squads at the same time..."

"You're what? Oh for the love of… how am I supposed to watch your backs when you don't even tell me things like that?"

"Sorry," her three boys mumbled together.

Elena sighed. "Just watch your selves out there, okay?"

A wild look appeared on Reno face. "No problem, you can trust us!"

Elena covered her eyes with one hand as she bowed her head. "Why do I always get the feeling of dread when you say that?"

* * *

_**G**allantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow._

Elena tugged at her dark blue blazer, feeling very uncomfortable. It had been a while since she had dressed as a Turk and not in the ninja like bodysuit of a military controller. Her only security was the Glock strapped to her hip; Rufus had allowed her that much. She straightened her tie and walked into the room.

She glanced around the briefing area, noting the three people that stood around a large table. She also noticed the four blue suited people standing in the shadows. They were the new Turks chosen to guard the president in her and her family's absence. She bowed to each of those gathered around the table in turn. "Shachou, Lord Godo, Lady Yuffie."

Rufus inclined his head in acknowledgment and Elena launched into her report. "As we all know, six weeks ago, Warlord Hideyoshi took the capitol city of Wutai. Due to the amount of men, arms and supplies, we have been unable to breach the city's defenses, which were well designed, Lord Godo."

The tall, dark-haired man smiled at the complement even if it was wrapped in a jest.

"We have however, been able to stop several supply lines into the city. Not enough to drive the warlord out but enough to weaken him. We've sent in operatives to gather intel, but unfortunately most do not come back alive. We do have an aerial advantage which we have been exploiting by spy missions and some strafing runs led by Reno."

Her expression turned dark as she debated on whether or not to tell the gathered people what had been happening more frequently because of the attacks. She sighed as she came to a decision. They had to know everything

"There have been retaliatory attacks on our base, with casualties in the double digits…"

Rufus sucked his breath in. The daily reports hadn't mentioned that. "I need numbers, Elena."

"Ninety one killed and a hundred three reported injuries in fifteen separate attacks," the woman quoted.

"'Reported injuries'?" Rufus queried, an eyebrow arched.

Elena looked down at her feet, unable to look her boss in the eye as she confessed, "You know how much Turks dislike admitting they're hurt…"

Rufus quirked a smile. "So tell me, off the record and including unreported injuries, how many?"

"A hundred twenty," Elena said, feeling like she was betraying her friends.

The young president shook his head, knowing he should have expected no less from his Turks. "Alright then. We have a few rough plans that we'd like to run by you. Yuffie has even been kind enough to give up some of her own secrets in order to aid us."

The youngest of the group blushed furiously as the four people began discussing the plans.

* * *

Several hours later, a reasonably acceptable plan had been formed. Elena stretched, yawning, as she followed Rufus from the briefing room on the Turk floor. Rufus laughed as he turned to the young woman.

"Your ride back to your base is here, but I told the chopper's crew all of you should spend the night here. They have retired to their rooms already." He held out the key to Elena's apartment.

All the Turks had chosen to live at the Shinra HQ, one floor down. The four friends had chosen apartments next to each other- Reno and Rude on one side of the hall, Tseng and Elena on the other. The newer Turks were then allowed to choose.

Elena smiled as she took her keys. "Thank you, Shachou. Will I see you again before I leave?"

"Count on it. I'll be seeing you off in the morning." Rufus gently kissed the back of Elena's hand. "Sleep well."

Elena smiled as she watched her boss catch up with Godo and was about to head to the elevators when a young voice called to her. She turned around to find Yuffie just standing there, hands behind her back. She looked at the Turk through her eyelashes.

"Was there something you wanted to ask, Lady Yuffie?"

The ninja looked up at Elena, a shy smile on her lips. "Just Yuffie. No 'Lady' required, okay?"

The blond woman laughed and nodded. "So…. What was it you wanted to ask?"

"Are you guys okay? I mean you, Tseng, Rude and Reno?" Yuffie's eyes were wide with concern. While they weren't the best of buds yet, they were friends. Rude and Reno had even come to her eighteenth birthday party at the Seventh Heaven. She knew it was only because of the free drinks but they had given her a matching set of a necklace, earrings and bracelets made from Mythril.

Elena's smile turned a little sad. "Yes, so far we're okay. Just a few minor injuries. And hopefully soon we'll have you home."

Yuffie grinned and bowed to the Turk. "Thank you!" Then she ran to catch up to her father, Rufus and the new Turks.

The young blond woman chuckled before deciding to stop off in the lounge for a cup of tea before going to bed. She missed the little things like that. She smiled to herself as she thought of how nice it would be to snuggle down in one of the overstuffed chairs, a cup of jasmine tea in her hands and some mindless show on the big screen. The only thing that would make it better would be if her family was with her.

The moment she stepped into the room, her wish was granted.

"Tseng! Rude! Reno? What are all of you doing here?"

"That's some greeting," Reno snorted. He was dressed in a pair of grey sweats and a white tank top, his red hair pooling around his head on the couch's arm.

"We are here to pick you up," Tseng answered the woman's question from his position on an easy chair. Black silk sleeping pants and matching robe adorned the lightly tanned, heavily scarred body.

Rude, clad in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, smiled at her from his position on the other end of Reno's couch. "None of us could stand being alone in our apartments so we all ended up here."

Elena grinned as she realized she didn't want to be alone either. Excusing herself to go grab her pajamas, shorts and an over-sized T-shirt, she returned quickly to find a cup of her favorite tea waiting for her.

* * *

The next morning, Rufus' heart broke as he walked into the Turk lounge. Sometime during the night, the four Turks had migrated to the floor and curled up together- Elena and Reno sandwiched between Rude and Tseng. All four still held their weapons even in sleep.

* * *

_**E**nergetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Turk word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country._

"Alright, listen up! The main target is here," General Garrison said, using a laser pointer to draw a circle around the palace. "We believe Hideyoshi is meeting with several of his top aids tonight. We'll launch a frontal assault using the AH-6s on strafing runs to distract from Reno dropping Rude's chalk here…" The pointer rested on a street intersection eight blocks away from the palace. It was as close as they could get with the over 64 ft long bird with a rotor diameter of 53 plus feet.

"Six Little Birds and Kai's Black Hawk will then drop Leon's and Li's chalks here and here…" The tiny dot rested on spots only four blocks away from the target area. "Reno's and Kai's choppers will join up with Arakawa's and Train's choppers and go into a holding pattern to provide sniper cover for the squads while the Ah-6s return to base for rearming."

Elena picked up from there. "In the meantime, Tseng will lead his squad into "Yuffie's Escape Route" from this rock formation to her room in the palace. They will then take any and all prisoners. With any luck, Hideyoshi will be with them. When Rude, Leon and Li's squads secure a perimeter, Tseng and his squad will escort the prisoners to the courtyard where each one of the Black Hawks will take groups with two to three SOLDIERs as guards back here for debriefing. The remaining personal will catch rides with either Reno's chopper or the Little Birds.

"I will be the controller on this one with Wilcox controlling in the air. Estimated time for completion of mission: no more then one hour. " Elena finished. She looked at each one of the men seated before her, blue eyes resting on three just a bit longer then the others. "Questions?"

As expected, there were none. Gen. Garrison ended the meeting with, "Mission codeword is 'Macbeth'."

* * *

An hour later found Reno and Rude watching the small convoy leaving the base, taking Tseng with it. Elena had wanted to be there but was needed in the control room. Tseng's last words to them still hung in the air.

"No one is left behind."

Reno slapped his partner on the back in an effort to break the somber mood. "Hey pal, walk me to my slick?"

Rude nodded and together they made their way to where Reno's co-pilot, Michael, sat waiting inside the Black Hawk. He nodded to both of them before disappearing into the cockpit, sensing the two needed to talk in private. The crew chiefs were gathering the ammo and other supplies that would be need for this mission.

"Don't look at me like that," Reno exclaimed, taking in his partner's miserable expression. "Hey, if this works out like it should, we'll be at Tifa's, throwing back a good brew by this time tomorrow!"

Rude nodded, an obviously forced smile appearing on his lips. "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Reno said, again slapping his partner on the back. "Now, you'd better go get ready yourself. And don't forget your night vision goggles. And pack plenty of dope and beers!"

Rude honestly smiled and shook his head. Reno had fallen in love with the slang term for ammo the day he overheard one of the SOLDIERs mention it. Reno had nearly killed the guy before he had a chance to explain it. "Just don't forget to pick us up!"

Reno gave him a thumbs up as he climbed into the cockpit.

* * *

"'Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war!' Macbeth!" Reno crowed into the mic. He watched the Little Birds take off as Rude's chalk loaded up. Then he got the signal from his crew chief and lifted of the deck in a smooth motion, Kai's, Arakawa's and Train's slicks following.

In a matter of minutes, Reno caught up to the Ah-6s as they readied for their run. Reno would be flying in from the west, right in front of the setting sun, dropping in seconds after the strafing runs that would cross his path. The other three Black Hawks would hover outside the city until Reno dropped his chalk.

"Two minutes!" he said, letting Rude know. "Better get the ropes ready. I won't be able to get as close to the ground as we thought I could."

Rude acknowledged him with a curt. "Roger."

"Reno." Rude turned his head to look at the pilot. The redhead grinned and said, "My name is Reno, not Roger."

Rude shook his head, chuckling.

At exactly 1905, Reno flew into the wake of the Little Birds, coming to a steady hover. Ropes were tossed and Rude watched as his chalk slid down into the dust cloud the chopper was making. With everyone out, he glanced back into the cockpit. Reno was watching him, a grin that didn't quite make it to his eyes, on his thin lips.

"Don't forget!" Rude shouted, before leaping out to the rope.

"Never," Reno whispered. Louder, he said, "Super Six-One, coming out."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Rude's chalk caught up with the other two that had been dropped off by the Ah-6s and roped down by the UH-60s at the edge of the palace. Rude called to Leon, leader of chalk 4, and Li of chalk 7.

"Any word from Tseng? Over."

Leon's voice came over the comm. "Nothing yet, but Li said they heard some shots being fired inside. Over."

"Alright. Then let's make sure that there's a good perimeter secured for him when he comes out! Over!"

"Roger that!"

They had been taking fire from the time their boots had touched the ground. Rude hadn't lost anyone yet but Li had at least one K.I.A. All three squads had injuries, but they had kept fighting, not for Wutai, but for the brother battling next to them.

"They're coming from the roof," Li's voice sounded. Rude caught a glimpse of his chalk appearing from the rubble of a destroyed building to take out the men from atop the roof over Rude's head.

"Maybe the Black Hawks can take care of some of them." The dark skinned Turk fired several rounds, each one finding its mark. Then he called for the comm.

Moments later, he heard the whirling blades and the chainsaw like sound of the mini-gun. Suddenly it was quiet. Rude looked out at the roof tops, finding no sign of movement.

"I'm coming out, over." Tseng's voice caused Rude to jump. He grabbed the radio.

"How many are coming with you? Over."

"I have twenty two hostiles and 10 friendlies." Tseng hadn't lost anyone either. "I had forgotten how big this place was…"

Rude reported back to the J.O.C. and Kai's bird touched down as a group of prisoners were led out by two of Tseng's men. A couple of Li's guys met them at the chopper, their fallen brother on a stretcher between them. In a matter of seconds, the Black Hawk was lifting off again.

Two more times this process was repeated, as the prisoners were taken. Finally, it was just the chalk leaders waiting for two Little Birds to clear the deck for Reno's bird.

"Hideyoshi wasn't among those we caught," Tseng informed the others.

"You mean he's still out there?" Leon yelled, looking around.

"I doubt he's still here," Rude said. "Probably ran at the first sign of trouble"

"RPG!"

All four men dropped to the ground as the radio screamed it's warning, only to realize the warning wasn't for them. All four hearts sank as they watched the tail rotor of Reno's beloved craft disappeared in fireball.

"I'm hit! I'm going down! Six-One going down!" Reno's voice was frantic but not panicky.

The four men on the ground and the many in the sky watched helplessly as the Black Hawk spun out of control, falling from the sky.

* * *

Back at the base, a young woman stood, her body trembling, watching the UH-60 going down on the footage provided by the SAR bird. Green eyes filled with tears as the chopper hit the ground, rolling to its side, the rotor shattering as it slammed the hard packed dirt. Dust rose to enshroud the fallen bird.

"We have a Black Hawk down. We have a Black Hawk down in the city."

And there was nothing she could do but whisper a name.

"Reno."

* * *

"We again request to go in and secure a perimeter," Rude said into the radio, his calm voice belaying the storm of emotions that raged within him.

The three other chalk leaders looked at him, hoping. The AH-6 that was carrying them was taking their sweet time in getting back to the base, the pilots having been trained by Reno. This was the second time Rude had made the request. There was a long pause before Elena's unsteady voice came over the radio.

"Permission granted. Bring the flyboy and his crew home."

* * *

None of them waited for the Little Bird to actually land before jumping off and heading to the downed chopper. It lay on it's side, the rotors gouging scars into the earth before the shards flew off into nearby AH-6 had cleared most the hostiles from the site but there were still a few taking pot shots at the small helicopter. Tseng, Leon and Li took up positions around the wreckage while Rude crawled into the hull.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the two mangled bodies. The two crew chiefs had died quickly, never feeling the extent of the damage done to their bodies. Rude moved to the cockpit, dreading what he would find.

The co-pilots seat was empty. Rude glanced back at the hull, confused. A feeling of horror overcame him as the Turk realized that the group of hostiles that had been there had probably taken Michael. In a panic, Rude looked at the pilots seat. Relief disappeared as quickly as it had come, being replaced by fear.

The slender body hung limply in the shoulder harness. A fine layer of dust had settled over the olive drab of the jumpsuit. The helmet had come loose revealing a shock of red hair and an ashen face with marks of scarlet under the eyes. Crimson fluid dripped from pale lips.

"Reno." The single word came out as a strangled cry. He reached down to feel for a pulse.

A fist almost caught him upside the head. Rude grabbed it at the last second; amazed that there was in fight left in the broken body.

"Reno! Take it easy, man! It's me, Rude!" He caught the flailing arms and held them to his chest until the younger Turk calmed down.

"Rude?' The strain in the man's voice tore at Rude's heart. He was almost completely lost when Reno threw an arm around the bigger man. "I didn't think I'd see you again!"

From this angle, Rude could see why his partner hadn't been taken. Both of his legs were crushed under the instrument panel. Rude could make out the pool of blood that was steadily growing. His heart fell as tried to accept the fact that Reno would not be leaving that chopper.

"They took Mikey… I tried to stop them but…" Reno's voice was barely a whisper.

"Shhh, it's okay. We'll get him back," Rude said quietly, trying to keep the waver out of his voice. He lay down, sliding across what used to be the side of the cockpit and unbuckled the harness. His torso freed of restraints, Reno's body came to rest on his partner's chest. Rude wrapped an arm around the smaller man and used the other hand to thumb his radio. "Tseng…"

That was all it took for the dark haired man to appear by the nose of the chopper. He looked through the shattered glass, silently asking the question. Rude shook his head.

"We'll get you out of here, Reno," Rude said, as Tseng radioed for equipment.

"Did we get him?"

Rude turned to Tseng, panic written on his face. "Yes, we got Hideyoshi. He was on Kai's bird," Tseng lied convincingly.

"Good." Reno pulled Rude closer. "Then it'll be easier to get Mikey back…"

A few minutes later, a Little Bird returned, dropping off a pair of engineers to dismantle the cockpit. One of the engineers's approached Rude through the hull. He handed the man a head set and radio.

"There's someone who wants to talk to him…"

Rude, plugged his own radio in to the one he had been handed, and open a channel so Tseng could listen as well. Before placing the head set on his partner, he spoke to the person he knew was on the other end.

"Elena…"

She didn't need to be there to know. "He's not going to make it, is he?"

Rude heard the choked back sob. "No, just wanted to warn you."

"T…thanks, Rude."

"Putting him on now," he replied gently slipping the headset over the ember colored hair. Tseng took the opportunity to reach through the broken glass to grab Rude's hand; connecting him to Reno but still being able to protect the two of them. They would all be there for the Turk pilot.

"Hey, Reno. How are you holding up?" Rude felt so very proud of the woman on the other end of the radio. There wasn't a trace of fear or sorrow in her voice.

"Elena? I… I can't see you…" Mako bright eye fluttered open only to fall closed again.

The woman swallowed the lump that was becoming too big for her throat. "I'm in the shadows; that's why you can't see me."

"Oh. I'm cold."

"It's alright, Reno. We'll get you warm soon…" Rude said, grabbing the emergency blanket from a pouch on his belt and bundled his partner in it.

"Hey Rude?"

"Yeah, Ren?"

"It don't hurt no more…"

Rude couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He felt the hand tighten around his and knew Tseng was struggling as well.

"Is it rainin'?"

Rude looked down to where the ghost like face rested against his chest. His tears had fallen, tracing lines on the grim covered features. He looked up, seeing something he had never witnessed before; Tseng openly weeping.

"Yeah, partner. It's raining."

Reno didn't reply. Blue eyes stared into nothingness as the last breath escaped the body.

* * *

At 2145, as flames engulfed her sister, Kai's Black Hawk left the deck, taking with it three body bags and several broken hearts.

* * *

_**R**eadily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Tuck objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor._

"Rude? Are you ready?"

Rude looked up to see Tseng standing on the other side of the table. The table that held the body of his best friend, wrapped in black plastic. The body bag had been unzipped, revealing the too pale body, cleansed of blood and grim that had covered it.

"Are you sure this is alright? I mean we should be the ones going after Micheal. Not Leon and Li."

"We were not the only ones that loved Reno," Tseng replied. "But we are his family. We will escort his, Pilla and Tai's bodies back home. We'll be back here by tomorrow."

"Heh, Reno said we'd be at Tifa's tossing back beers by this time," Rude said, a sad smile on his lips.

"We will get him, Rude." The two men looked up to see Elena stepping towards them. Her eyes were still red and puffy but her stride was confident. "And we will make Hideyoshi pay for this and all the other sorrows he's caused. The tape confirms it was him firing the RPG."

She held her hand out, palm down. Tseng silently laid his hand on top of hers. Rude solemnly placed his hand over the other two even as laid his other over the fourth hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII

Warnings: Slight Blood, Slight Tissue

Mindless Babble:

* * *

Cloud held Tifa close, feeling her body trembling with suppressed sobs. His own face reflected the disbelief he was feeling, his heart unable to come to terms with what he had just heard. He glanced at his friends.

Yuffie was horror struck. The young Turk had fought and died for her country. She would never again see his face turn red when she stole his Materia, only to go even redder when she returned it to him for a kiss. He would no longer be there for when she would be crowned as queen like they had planned. She would never see him again and it tore at her very heart.

Barret held the young princess like he would Marlene after a bad dream, although, as much as the young girl wished it was, this wasn't just a nightmare. It was real; real enough to hurt. He had always thought of the Turk as the brutal enforcer, especially after the whole Sector 7 massacre. But then Cloud had told him the truth about that and Barret had started to wonder. Now, it seemed that the obnoxious Turk had died fight the good fight.

Cid felt his chest tighten. The Turk pilot had become one of his drinking buddies since they had found a common interest- a love of flying. Cid had even been invited to help test some of the new aircraft thanks to the Turk. They were supposed to have gone out together as soon as the warlord had been taken out. Cid had been waiting in anticipation for that day. And now that wait had been extended into forever for he would fly with no other.

The animosity he had felt for Shinra dimensioned a slight bit, as Vincent watched the young president struggle to keep his emotions in check. The Turk had been rough, obnoxious and cruel. But he had also been loyal to the point of death. That was one of the few aspects of Shinra's elite that Vincent could still admire. This death served to remind him of that attribute even as his carefully crafted mask of indifference threatened to crack.

Nanaki had always despised anything to do with Shinra, especially the Turks. That was until one night, shortly before the rebirth of Sephiroth, when his home in Cosmo Canyon had been attacked by bandits. Tseng and the rest of the Turks had arrived minutes after the call for help had gone out. Nanaki still remembered how the red hair blended with his own fur as the Turk carried his injured body to a medic.

The one thing they all knew was that no matter how much pain they felt, Reno's death had hit Rufus, Tseng, Rude and Elena the hardest, almost destroying them.

Rufus cleared his throat, swallowing his emotions for the moment. "As you all know, Turks give up their past on the day they are initiated. Even I do not know of their birth names. When they die, they are cremated and their ashes scattered. This gave me a problem that my father never cared about; how to remember them when they passed on. Whether on the field of battle or of natural causes, I never wanted them to be forgotten."

He stood up motioning the group to follow him. "With some of the older personal, I was able to do something for all of the Turks- Past, present and future."

Rufus led them to the triangular column at the entrance of the level. A plaque covered the side facing the elevator, so it was the first and last thing anyone getting on would see. It was made of black marble with years etched into it. Tiny silver daggers had been embedded next to the numbers.

"Each dagger represents a Turk lost." Rufus intoned, staring at the five silver blades next to the date that marked almost three years ago. The years following had none, being that only four Turks had survived the crises. His eyes dropped to the current year.

A single dagger made of bloodstone instead of silver stood out from the black background. Rufus brushed it lightly, heart breaking at the thought of the one it represented.

* * *

The day the Turks returned to Wutai, Michael, Reno's co-pilot was rescued. One week later, Hideyoshi's head hung from the gates entering the main city. The next day, three very tired people found themselves at the Seventh Heaven drinking to their fallen comrade. A set of not-so-shiny dog tags wrapped in battered rubber lay on the table, reflecting the flickering light of the dying candle.


End file.
